Dental compositions comprise polymerizable acrylates and/or methacrylates that are stabilized against spontaneous polymerization by using of free-radical scavenger such as the well-known phenols 2,6-di-tert.-butyl-4-cresol (BHT), hydroquinone or hydroquinone monomethylether (HQME). On the other side they contains a photoinitiator that must be react sensible to visible or UV-light to photoinitiate the free-radical polymerization.
Light curing dental materials mostly are applied under the conditions of relatively strong operating lamps. Consequently, the international standards require that a dental composite remains stable under an illumination of 10,000 lux for 60 seconds (ISO 4049), that a dental pit and fissure sealant and a light activated water based cement remains stable under an illumination of 8,000 lux for 25 seconds (ISO 6874) and for 30 s (ISO 9917-2), respectively.
To improve light stability an optimization of the initiator/inhibitor system leads to lengthening the working times under the conditions of a dental practice. However, this optimization is limited and leads to minor reduction of light sensitivity only.
Recently, it was found, that stable organic radicals reduce the light sensitivity of a dental light-curing composite material (N. Moszner, V. Rheinberger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,025) when low molecular stable radicals such as 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, galvinoxyl radicals and/or triphenylmethyl radicals or 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1oxyl radicals are applied.
In the last decades dental composites becomes popularly as consequence of an improved dental supply. However, the application of this material class is combined with some new risks due to the release of parts of the composite, namely partly non-polymerized monomers (L. Shajii, J. P. Santerre, Biomaterials 20 (1999) 1897, W. R. Hume, T. M. Gerzia, Crit. Rev. Oral. Biol. Med. 7 (1996) 172) as well as portions of the inhibitors and/or initiator system (P. A. Liso et al., Biomaterials 18 (1997) 15). Furthermore, it is well known that free-radicals bearing some health risk (A. T. Diplock et al., Br. J. Nutr. 80 (1998), Suppl 1, 77; L. U. Thompson, Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 34 (1994), 473).
Consequently, it seems desirable to use stable free-radicals for improved light sensitivity and to link them into the polymer system in order to avoid penetration and health risks.
The low molecular stable radicals that are suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,025 bases on piperidinium 1-oxyl radicals bearing phenol or thiophenol groups or derivatives of carboxylic or thiocarboxylic acids.